Mica splitting machine



Nov. 10, 1931. L. T. FREDERICK 1,831,061

MICA SPLITTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 29, 1926 2 sneets sneem 1 HH' 7 illHlh Nov. 10, 1931. L. T. FREIQERICK MICA SPLITTING MACHINE Filed Dec.29, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheer. 2

k I A m 1 d N M g), ww 1.1% 1:} 1, HD 1 Laws 7. fkEDER/CK Patented Nov.10, 1931 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS '1. FREDERICK, F VALPAKAISO,INDIANA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO CONTINENTAL DIAMOND FIBRE COMPANY, OF NEWARK, DELAWARE, A COR- jPORATION OF DELAWARE MICA SPLITTING MACHINE Application filed. December29, 1926; serial no. 157,804.

. splitting and separating it, and the general object is to divide theblocks into flakes of unusual size and thinness. In carrying out allthis object I subject the mica blocks to a succession of bends which areat first arcuate but which gradually become more abrupt or angular.

One of the contributory objects is to provide a machine and process inwhich the bend ing is done while the mica is confined between belts, andthebelts are backed up in such manner as to hold them firmly to theirwork. Still another object is to provide efficient tractive means forcausing the belts to travel smoothly and uniformly through the machine.A further object is to provide an alternate arrangement of belt drivingand mica bending rolls and stationary bending formers for effectivelyflexing the blocks.

These and other objects will be apparent from a perusal of the followingspecification when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingswherein,

1 showing the arrangement of the belt feed rolls and stationary bendingformers; and

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of v Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings, my "rmproved apparatus comprises a base 2on which is bolted as at 4 a standard consisting of spaced uprights 6,each having upper and lower pairs of arms 8 and 10 respectively. Thesearms in turn carry cross supports upon which the cooperative micabending devices and belt driving rolls are mounted. The lower arms 10carry the cross supports 12 which are arranged in spaced apart relationas shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. These supports 12 have upper facesupon which is bolted a secondary standard 14 formed along its front withupstanding bearing boxes 16 and along its rear with a longitudinallyextending horizontal platform 18 for receiving the gear boxes 20. Thebearing boxes 16 and the platform for the gear boxes are spaced apartfor the reception of the stationary bending formers hereinafterdescribed. The mica blocks to be split into laminations are preferablypassed around the bending formera by means of traveling belts. Othermeans for feeding the mica blocks is within the contemplation of myinvention.

.The main rolls 22 which drive the belts are mounted on shafts 24 whichhave ball bearings; the bearings 26 at the front are mounted within thebearing boxes 16 while the opposite ends of the shafts are provided withball bearings 28 mounted within the gear boxes 20. Each shaft isprovided with a mitre gear 30 meshins; with a cooperating gear 32 on across shaft 34 carried by a bracket 36 on the main frame." The end ofthis shaft 34 is in turn provided with a pulley 38 driven by a belt 40from a suitable source of power. By means of this bearing constructionfor the shafts 24 of the belt driving rolls, the latter are held infixed position with respect to each other.

The upper arms 8 carry on their under sur- I faces the spaced uppercross supports 42 which latter in turn carry a tubular frame 44 for acentrally disposed depending tubular arm 46. This arm carries atits'bottom a cross-head 48 provided with a series of bending formers.The tubular arm 46 is made vertically adiustable throu h the frame 44 bymeans of thescrew.50.' By using a single crosshead the stationarybending formers may be adjusted simultaneously toward and from the saced belt driving and mica bendim! rolls '22 as will be hereinafterdescribed.

\Vhile these mica bending formers are prefbearin bores 16 and the reargear boxes 20,

and the sides of these bars are cut away at appropriate places asindicated at 54 to reary bending formers alternate.

The mica blocks are preferably fed between the bending formers by meansof the two flexible belts 56 and 58. These belts are arranged one overthe other. The lower belt 56passes over two belt wheels 60 mounted onshafts 62 in bearings 64 on the lower supports 12, and theupper belt 58is likewise mounted on two belt wheels 66 on shafts 68 in hearings onthe under side of upper supports 42. The opposed runs of the two beltsare broughttogether at one end of the series of forming dies andseparate at the opposite end. The contiguous. runs of these belts arecurves or ends'of lesser radius, until such.

that this sharp bending action be preceded byv the more gradual arcuatebends in the mica block. Otherwise cracking and breakage of thelaminations are likely to result. The number and arrangement of thestationary bending formers and their cooperative rela /tion with themain rolls 22 and the belts are disposed in substantiallyserpentinef0rma-/S11bje(3t to various modifications within the tion between thebelt driving rolls 22 and thestationary bending formers. At the frontend or in feeding end of the belts, a mica feed chute 7 O is arranged sothat a constant stream of mica blocks mat be fed between the upper andlower runs of the two belts. At the opposite or parting end the beltrunsare disposed so that the flakes split from the mica blocks, by theaction of the stationary formers and the driving rolls, will dischargethe flakes to a desired station.

One of the main features of my invention resides in the construction andarrangement of the stationary formers and in their coopform as a roundrod erative relation with each other, withth'e belt .griving and micabending rolls, and with the elts. v

By my new method and by the use of my improved construction. the micablocks can be split into lamin'ations or flakes of extreme thinness andthe flakes will not be broken off or cracked in the splitting process.As is well known in the art. the desideratum is to obtain flakes of micawhich are of practically irreducible thinness and which are of the samesuperficial area as the block from wh ch thev are split. In my process Igraduallv work the mica blocks and impart the necessary rubbing andbending action to them in a manner which e'fl'ects the maximumseparation. of the flakes with minimum injury or breakage.

For accomplishing this 'I provide a succession of spaced apart micabending. formers around which the mica blocks are bent. And I providethe successive formers with curved or arcuate'hending surfaces which. incooperation with the action of the belt driv ing rolls. impart asuccession of bends or turns to the mica blocksas they are fed alongbetween the belts. One of the particular ob jects of my inventionresides in gradually changing'the extent of the arcuate bend imparted tothe mica block by the successive formers: the bends changing fromrelatively extended, substantially arcuate curves to scope of thisinvention. It is also within the contemplation of my invention to omitthe belt feed for the mica blocks and tofeed the blocks through thebending formers in other desired ways provided the arrangement of thegradually changing conformation of the bending surfaces as hereinbeforedescribed is retained.

In the illustrated apparatus, I have shown the first former 72 of theseries provided with a circular bending surface. Preferably this formercomprises a round rod. The second former 74 which I also preferably hasa smaller diameter so that the curve or bend imparted to the mica blockwhile slightly sharper will yet be smooth and arcuate. The third former76 is. still less in curvature and this is accomplished by forming it asan integral part of the crosshead 48. In specific outline it is somewhattapered and provided with a curved bottom of less arcuate dimensionsthan the preceding former 74.. The next succeeding fofiner 78 isprovided with an even sharper bending surface which is slightly rounded.This former comprises a substantially rectangular block thecorners ofwhich are made smooth' and rounded providing a relatively sharp butbend. This block forms two such turns with an intervening flat surface.The final former 80 imparts a sharp bend or turn to the mica block. Thisis accomplished by the use of a. rectangular-shaped block like thepreceding former 78 but without the smoothed corner edges. In otherwords the corners of the final former 80 are relatively sharp and imparta decided angular bend to the mica. This block also provides two suchbending surfaces.

When the mica block is fed by chute 70 be-' tween the two belts 56 and58 and over the first belt driving roll 22 it is relatively rigid and isbent with some difficulty. As the thereby smooth sharp to pass aroundthe first former 72 the belts are subjected to considerable strains inbending the leading edge of the mica block around the relatively smallcircular former 72. In order to protect the belts from this severestrain and positively to guide the belts and the enclosed mica blockabout former 72 I provide the backing block or guide 82. This guide ispreferably bolted as at 84 onto the face of the gear box and frontbearings or other adjacent part of the frame so as to be rigidly held inposition opposite and central ofthe space between the first and secondbelt driving rolls 22. Guide 82 is formed with a concave face or guidinggroove which is the complement of the arcuate face of former 72.

In this manner the belts and enclosed mica blocks are passed about theformer 72. I also prefer to provide a second similar block; 86 similarlypositioned between the second and third belt driving rolls. This blockhas a. guiding groove or concave face, the com plclnent of the arcuateface of former 74.

By "the time a mica block has traveled around the main rolls 22 andbending formers 72 and 74 it will have been flexed sufficiently so thatadditional guide blocks are not necessary for the remaining formers. Itmust be evident that the main rolls 22 are relatively large in diameterso as to provide substantial tractive surfaces for driving the belts 56and 58 around the formers 72 to 80 and that these rolls 22 also serve tobend the-mica blocks and are arranged to impart relatively large arcuatebends in the blocks alternating with relatively small arcuate bendsarcuate bends impart a preliminary separat ing or splitting action WhLchgradually produced by the formers 7 2 to which get smaller and smallerand finally merge into relatively sharp and angular bends at the lastformer 80. By means of the adjustment of the crosshead 48 the amount ofthis bending may be controlled at will.

By the use of the above described method and apparatus I producelaminations of extreme thinness and maximum size. By subjecting theblocks to alternately large and small arcuate bends with the small bendsbecoming more and more abrupt as the block passes between the formersand by imparting final sharp bends over the relatively sharp edges ofthe last formers I provide the ideal rubbing action for separating theminutely thin flakes or laminations of the block. The

grows more and more effective as the bends increase in abruptionsthereby loosening those laminations which have been preliminarilyworked. The final sharp bends over the sharp edge serve to loosen theremaining flakes. By this method and apparatus very little breakage orcracking of the laminations is encountered. In the apparatus the beltdriving rolls are mounted on ball bearings at each end and are rigidlysupported at front and rear by the bearing boxes and gear boxes. Therolls arethus maintained in set pos1t1on and need no adj ustment. Theadjustment lowering the crosshead 48 carrying the bending formers. Byusing stationary is most simply provided for'by raising and formers Ieliminate the necessityof moving parts while at the same time provide aconto carry the mica blocks around the bending formers to impart thedesired arcuate bending action culminating in the angular or sharp,bending action. 7 Bythe use of my improved guide blockssfor the firstbending formers I protect the belts from unusual struction which allowsthe mica feeding beltsstrains and impart a positive directional movementto the belts. It is evident that many changes may be made in the detailsof the apparatus herein illustrated since the mechanism shown anddescribed is but one form of means for carrying out my invention.

Having'thus descr bed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus of the class describedhaving a sequence of stationarybending formers about which a mica block is bent as it travels along,and a stationary guide block spaced from the first former of saidsequence to provide a guiding channel and means for passing a block ofmica along said channel.

l:grcuate surface and means for passing a mica lock former.

4. In combination two relatively large rolls fixedly mounted in spacedapart relation, a stationary bending former having an arouate surfaceand mounted between said rolls, and a guide block fixedly mounted inspaced edgewise between said block and relation from said former andhaving a complemental arcnate surface and means for passing a block ofmica successively through said rolls and across said bending former.

5. Incombinationtworelatively large rolls fixedly mounted in spacedapart relation a stationary bending former having an arcuate surface andmounted between said rolls, and a guide block fixedly mounted in spacedrelation from said former and having a complemental arcuate surface anda plurality of flexible guide belts driven by said rolls, said beltspassing around said rolls and between said former and guide block andcarrying mica blocks between the turns of said belts.

6. An apparatus of the character described having spaced bending rollsof relatively large diameter and intervening relatively small s'tationarbending formers forming a tortuous path, or the purposespecified andmeans for passing a'block ofmicaalong said path.

7. In combination, relatively large rolls mounted in spacedrelationship,a stationary bending former having an arcuate surfacearranged adjacent said rolls, a stationary 'llide block spaced from saidformer and liaving a complementary arcuate surface, and a flexible guidebelt carried by said rolls and passing between said guide block andformer and adapted to convey mica blocks past said former.

8. In combination, a series of stationary bending formers including acircular rod, a former having a rounded bending surface and a formerhaving an angular bending surface and means for conveying'a mica blockacross said sequence of formers.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LOUIS T. FREDERICK.

